American Idol’s season 9 auditions started out in Boston Mass. With Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls fame, as a guest judge. Along with Idol’s regular judges, Simon Cowell, Cara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson. Out of over 9,000 hopefuls that gathered outside the arena, a few hundred made it through all of the different steps required to get the chance to audition for the final four judges.

From the very beginning, it was apparant that Beckham was not a strong judge and seemed to be more interested in the fashion and all-around physical appearance of the contestants and was rather unmoved by the talent or vocals that each person possessed.

Often laughing and whispering under her breath to the fellow judges. However, Boston did produce a few very talented folks and the judges were able to sift through the many lack-luster performances and find these lucky few, giving them the “Golden Ticket” they needed to go to Hollywood.

Among these contestants, a few really stuck out and seem to be the ones to watch. 21 year old cancer survivor Justin Williams of Sandy Utah has a humble persona and unique vocals. While 16 year old Katie Stevens surprised the judges with a powerful voice that stretches way beyond her years. 21 year old Ashley Rodriguez seemed to be Simon Cowell’s pick of the night, when he said that she quite frankly had the “It” factor that they were looking for.

It was obvious that the Idol judges have definately raised the bar of expectations, so expect to see more exceptionally gifted performers this season and less mediocre “lounge” singers. With Ellen DeGeneres stepping in as the fourth judge on the panel in Hollywood, American Idol’s Season 9 should be an exciting year for sure.

Let us know what you thought of the first show! Which contestants will you be voting for?

photo credit: cliff1066™

Born March 10th, 1983 in Muskogee Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood found her love for music when she started singing in her church choir at the tender age of just 3 years old. By the time Carrie was in the 7th grade, she had taken her gift to the next level, competing in local talent shows where she became known to many as the “Little girl with the big voice”.

After she graduated from high school, Carrie Underwood enrolled at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah Oklahoma, choosing broadcast journalism as her major. During her first year of college, Underwood produced a student-run television program and wrote for the school newspaper “The Northeastern.” However, her friends knew of her love of music and encouraged her to try out for American Idol’s season four.

Carrie decided that she would give it a try and figured that if it didn’t work out, she could always return to school and finish her degree. So along with her mother and younger sister, Carrie headed for the St. Louis auditions.

After wowing the judges with her rendition of Martina McBride’s “Phones are Ringing All Over Town,” Carrie Underwood worked her way to the top twelve with performances of “Independence Day” another McBride chart topper and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt.

On May 25th, 2005, Carrie beat out runner up, Bo Bise to become America’s next idol. Soon after, she released her debut single “Inside Your Heaven”. This hit soon became Billboard Hot 100′s first country album to make the number one spot since Lonestar’s “Amazed” in 2000.

Carrie Underwood has since won several awards including her first CMA in 2006 as female artist of the year and the coveted Horizon Award. In 2008, Carrie was asked by fellow singer Randy Travis to become a member of the Grand Old Oprey.

Randy surprised her with the offer when she made an appearance on the Oprey stage singing one of his hits “I Told You So.” Carrie Underwood has since released a duet of the hit with Randy Travis, which soared it’s way, along with the rest of her singles, to the top of the charts.

In 1998, after seeing many talented recording artists such as Annie Lennox to the top of the charts, Simon Fuller decided to try his hand at yet another branch of entertainment, reality television.

He soon sold his new concept for a talent show, giving no-named hopefuls the chance at stardom, singing there way to there own record deal in front of millions of viewers in the UK on the show now known as “Pop Idol”.

After three highly successful seasons in the United Kingdom, Fuller decided that it was time to introduce his idea to the American networks. In 2001, Simon sold the rights to the Americanized version of “Pop Idol” to Fox Television. In 2002, “American Idol” debuted to millions of viewers nation wide.

Since it’s first season, American Idol has reportedly brought in over $2.5 billion in merchandising, music sales and paid sponsership.

In 2005, Simon Fuller sold part of his production group, 19 Entertainment, to a sister company for over $200 million in cash and stock, making him one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 most powerful people in 2008.

In January 2010, look for Fuller’s lastest project, a reality TV show titled “If I Can Dream” which has a group of hopefuls being filmed 24/7 living in a house together while attempting to find success in there selected creative fields. As everything else Simon Fuller has created, the show is sure to be a hit.

Born on April 24th, 1982 in Fort Worth Texas, Kelly Clarkson lived a simple life in Burleson, a small suburb of Fort Worth. But in middle school, the choir teacher overheard her singing with some friends and asked Clarkson to audition for the school choir.

Kelly soon learned that she had a deep love for music and a natural, un-rehearsed talent as well, performing in many musicals in high school and singing the National Anthem at several local sporting events.

After Kelly Clarkson graduated from high school, she received many offers for full scholarships to many reputable universities, but turned them all down. She decided that since she had already invested so much time and energy into her song writing, trying her luck in the business was the only logical next step.

In 2002, Clarkson auditioned for the talent show American Idol, shocking the judges as the “Little girl with the big voice” making it through to the next round of the competition that takes place in Hollywood California. Kelly soon won the hearts of the viewers and in the end, walked away with 58% of the vote. Making Kelly Clarkson American Idol’s first winner.

After Idol ended, Kelly released her first song “A Moment Like This.” With in the first week, the single had went from number 52 to number 1 on the US pop charts and sold over 236,000 copies. This single was also the only song from any American Idol to reach number one on the UK charts as well.

Seven years later, Kelly Clarkson still manages to wow critics with one hit track after another. “Breakaway,” her second album released in 2004 went multi-platinum. Kelly says that she is proudest of this particular album, because it was her first chance to show the real side of her sound and song writing capabilities.

Kelly’s new album “All I Ever Wanted” was released earlier this year and has already seen several of the tracks hit the Billboard Hot 100.

Born on June 19th, 1962, Paula Abdul grew up in the San Fernando Valley area of California, where she joined her first dance class at the age of eight years old. Her love of the arts was instant and her dance teacher soon saw a raw talent with her capabilities in choreography, often allowing Paula’s insight on the companies dance routines.

Then, in the early eighty’s, soon after Paula graduated from high school, she made the journey to Los Angeles and auditioned for a place on the cheer and dance squad for the LA Lakers as a Laker Girl. The judges noticed Abdul’s skill and she was one of the very lucky few selected from 700 girls for a spot on the team. With in the first year with the Laker Girls, Paula Abdul became the captain of the team as well as the choreographer of all of the half time show routines.

By the late 1980′s, Paula had become a well known and sought after choreographer and back up dancer for the pop industry, handing out fast-paced dance moves and routines to such artists as Janet Jackson and Debbie Gibson, even appearing in Jackson’s “Nasty Boys” video. But According to Paula Abdul, she felt as if something was missing and decided to try her hand at becoming a recording artist herself.

With $30,000 of her savings, Paula stepped into the recording studio and in 1989, he first album “Forever Your Girl” was released and sky rocketed to the top of pop charts. By 1990, the album had gone multi-platinum selling over 10 million copies.

However, in 1992 after a lack-luster sophomoric album, Paula admitted to suffering from the eating disorder bulimia and promptly check herself into rehab. After getting a handle on her illness, she married Brat Pack actor Emilio Estevez, but the marriage was short-lived and Paula Abdul filed for divorce in May of 1994.

It was almost as if Paula had faded from the spotlight for good until she was offered the position as the third judge on a talent show titled American Idol in 2002. She seemed to be the soft-centered judge that offered sympathy and optimism to the many young hopefuls that came before the judges.

Amidst the rumors of Paula’s pain killer and possible alcohol addictions, on August 4th, 2009, FOX Television annonced that Paul Abdul would be leaving the American Idol Judges scene after seven years due to “a breakdown in contract negotiations.”

Paula Abdul has kept herself busy with a successful line of jewelry that she designed for HSN.Com. Her line has become one of the most popular lines the company has ever sold.

Ryan Seacrest began his life-long love for radio and television hosting during his junior year at Dunwoody High School in 1991, when he became the “Voice of Dunwoody” as a morning announcer on the school’s public address system. Ryan said that he was an overweight kid that wore glasses and was far from the popular kid in school. However, during his senior year of school, Seacrest landed a very hard to get internship at an Atlanta-based radio station, WSTR-FM.

His big break came when a DJ from the station called in sick and Ryan had to cover the night slot on the air. The station manager was impressed with his natural ability to keep the public entertained and offered him a part-time job filling in for DJ’s covering mostly night and weekend shifts.

After graduating from high school in 1993, Ryan Seacrest stayed with the radio station while taking journalism classes at the University of Georgia.When he was finished with his schooling, Ryan moved to Los Angeles and got a job hosting the afternoon drive show for a highly rated radio station.

Simon Fuller, creator of UK’s Pop Idol was in town negotiating with the producers at FOX Television Station for an Americanized version of the talent show, to be titled American Idol. Fuller heard Ryan one afternoon on the radio and called the station manager. Soon, Ryan was being considered for a spot on the Idol judge’s panel. But after meeting with Simon Cowell and other producers of the show, it was decided that Seacrest’s charisma would be best utilized as the host of the show.

In 2004 his career hit a high note when he started his own television show “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest.” The show soon became a hit.
Ryan Seacrest will be joining the judges again in January 2010, for American Idol, season nine.

Ryan Seacrest began his life-long love for radio and television hosting during his junior year at Dunwoody High School in 1991, when he became the “Voice of Dunwoody” as a morning announcer on the school’s public address system. Ryan said that he was an overweight kid that wore glasses and was far from the popular kid in school. However, during his senior year of school, Seacrest landed a very hard to get internship at an Atlanta-based radio station, WSTR-FM.

His big break came when a DJ from the station called in sick and Ryan had to cover the night slot on the air. The station manager was impressed with his natural ability to keep the public entertained and offered him a part-time job filling in for DJ’s covering mostly night and weekend shifts.

After graduating from high school in 1993, Ryan Seacrest stayed with the radio station while taking journalism classes at the University of Georgia.When he was finished with his schooling, Ryan moved to Los Angeles and got a job hosting the afternoon drive show for a highly rated radio station.

Simon Fuller, creator of UK’s Pop Idol was in town negotiating with the producers at FOX Television Station for an Americanized version of the talent show, to be titled American Idol. Fuller heard Ryan one afternoon on the radio and called the station manager. Soon, Ryan was being considered for a spot on the Idol judge’s panel. But after meeting with Simon Cowell and other producers of the show, it was decided that Seacrest’s charisma would be best utilized as the host of the show.

In 2004 his career hit a high note when he started his own television show “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest.” The show soon became a hit.
Ryan Seacrest will be joining the judges again in January 2010, for American Idol, season nine.

Not many people knew his name prior to American Idol, But Randy Jackson has always been a giant to the music industry. Born June 23rd, 1956 in Baton Rouge Lousiana, Jackson grew up surrounded by soulful, deep southern musical influances.

In 1979, after graduating from Southern University with a Bachelor’s in music, Randy Jackson started making a name for himself as a bass guitar player, lending his talent in the recording studios to such acts as Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.

In 1983, he began touring with 80′s hit group Journey, playing guitar as well as keyboards. However, Jackson never really strayed far for the recording studio and continued to provide his skill for many upcoming artists. In fact, since the beginning of his career, Randy has been recorded on over one thousand records worldwide.

During the late 1980′s and early 1990′s, Randy Jackson experimented with many different aspects of the music industry, from teaching recording industry class at UCLA, to becoming an executive for huge record moguls Columbia and MCA Records.

But it wasn’t until Simon Fuller, producer of UK’s Pop Idol approached Randy in 2001 with an offer to appear as one of the judges on America’s version of the talent show American Idol, that the name Randy Jackson became so well known to the American public.

Although American Idol is what Randy has been mostly known for, he continues to produce, perform and manage several up and coming recording artists.
When asked in an interview, Simon Cowell, producer and friend said of Jackson, “Randy is the only person who remains totally and utterly unaffected by the fame that the show has brought.”

Randy will be appearing along with fellow judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres on American Idol season nine in January 2010.

Simon Cowell has made a name for himself on both sides of the pond, from London England, to Hollywood California. A talent industry giant in all aspects, climbing his way to the top in television, movies and radio airplay. Although it may seem to people here in the United States as if Cowell became an overnight success, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Born in Brighton England on October 7, 1959 to a hard working middle class family, Simon Phillip Cowell dropped out of school at the age of sixteen, stating that high school “just wasn’t for me”. In 1979, after numerous dead-end jobs, his father got him a job at local production company, EMI as a mail room clerk. But persistance pays off and after ten years of dedication to the company, Simon was offered a job as A & R representative.

In 1999, Simon Cowell got his first number one hit with a band he produced called “Westlife” but the high was short lived. When calling his parents to share the news, Simon was shocked to learn that his father had suffered a fatal heart attack just hours before.

Since 1999, Simon Cowells’ career has seen nothing but acceleration in the industry, starting out on a talent show in the UK called “Pop Idol” He became a judge known for his no-nonsense and some times hard to take straight shooting. Television producer Simon Fuller took notice and offered Cowell a place on the judging panel for a new Americanized version of the talent show called “American Idol“.

Since then, Simon Cowell has become a household name in the United States, often frowned upon for his often brutal criticism of the lack-luster talent demonstrated by some of the thousands of contestants that flock to audition every year. “I’m not trying to be rude but…” has become a catch phrase often associated with Simon’s “Judge Dread” persona.

However, there is a much softer side of Simon Cowell that is usually over-shadowed by his cut throat judgement. Simon has donated a large portion of his $198million net worth to charities all over the world. From eco-friendly causes such as England’s Centre for Enviromental Education, to charity-based organizations such as children’s hospice alliances all over the UK as well as the United States.

On November 21, 2008 Simon Cowell was named Patron of British Charity at a fund raising dinner held by many of the organizations. Also in 2008, it was made public that Simon had wrote in his will that $180million be left to select charities including ARK and disaster relief funds.

Look for Simon Cowell as he again joins the judges panel in early 2010 on American Idol, season 9

Danny Gokey, a 28 year old  church choir director from Milwaukee Wisconsin,  auditioned for American Idol’s season eight in Kansas City Missouri just four weeks after losing his wife, Sophia. Making him appear to be what some people referred to as American Idol’s “hard-luck” contestant.

However, Gokey soon proved to Idol judges as well as the American audience, that he had the carisma and the vocal talent, to be a star. After making it through to Hollywood, it was soon discovered that Danny’s real niche could be found in the country music genre.

Performing such songs as “Jesus Take the Wheel” by former American Idol winner and country music super star Carrie Underwood. After several weeks with the show, Danny Gokey was voted off in third place, just trailing Adam Lambert and winner, Kris Allen.

During his stint with the American Idol’s Live Tour, Danny sang several country hits including two popular songs, “What Hurts the Most” and “My Wish” both by country music recording artists, Rascal Flatts.

Since his American Idol days, Danny has been busy with his non-profit organization “Sophia’s Heart Foundation” appropriately named in honor of his late wife. This organization helps make a positive impact on children’s lives through music and arts, by providing funds to programs all over the country.

On September third 2009, Danny signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings and RCA Records. When asked about the album, Gokey said “Country music is where I need to be” Look for Danny Gokey’s album to be released sometime in early 2010.

28 year old Michael Sarver was just a roughneck oil rigger from Jasper Texas when he took a chance and went to the American Idol auditions for season eight in Phoenix Arizona. But after impressing the four Idol judges with the song “Thank You” by R&B group Boyz II Men, Michael put his oil rigging job on hold and headed for Hollywood.

When asked by Reality TV Magazine if he was  intimidated by there being four American Idol judges as opposed to the three from previous years, Danny said “I wasn’t inimidated at all. I think that Kara DioGuardi (Idol’s new fourth judge) is incredible, she brings talent and music to the table and she knows how to interpret what she is trying to say”.

After singing great hits such as “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw and “You are Not Alone” by the late Michael Jackson, Michael Sarver was voted off of American Idol on March 26th, 2009 but was lucky enough to make it to the tenth spot, making him the first contestant of the season to earn his way to the American Idols Live Tour.

Simon Cowell said that Michael Sarver is a “genuinely nice guy” and he hopes to see more of him in the music industry even after the Idol season comes to a close. Look for Sarver, along with the other top eleven Idol contestants on “The Top 12 Party” soon to be released.